Careers in Early Childhood - Child Care Services Association

Careers in Early

Childhood

A National Directory

Fourth Edition

? 2015 Child Care Services Association

Careers in Early Childhood

A National Directory

Fourth Edition

Table of Contents

Table of Contents................................................................................................................................................................. i

Careers in Early Childhood................................................................................................................................................ 1

Glossary............................................................................................................................................................................... 2

Teachers of Young Children: Child Care, Head Start,and Pre-K-Based Programs........................................................ 3

Providers of Home-Based Services................................................................................................................................... 4

Administrators/Directors of Center-Based Programs........................................................................................................ 5

Professional Development Coordinators........................................................................................................................... 6

Instructors and Trainers...................................................................................................................................................... 6

Technical Assistance Specialists...................................................................................................................................... 7

Regulators............................................................................................................................................................................ 7

Topic Specialists................................................................................................................................................................. 8

Program Managers.............................................................................................................................................................. 9

Family Specialists/Counselors........................................................................................................................................ 10

Consultants....................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Researchers....................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Sales Representatives ..................................................................................................................................................... 12

Early Childhood Program Officers................................................................................................................................... 12

Financial Aid Sources....................................................................................................................................................... 13

References......................................................................................................................................................................... 14

This document was produced by the T .E .A .C .H . Early Childhood? National Center and Child Care Services Association (CCSA). Through direct services, research and advocacy, CCSA works to promote high-quality early care and education. T .E .A .C .H . Early Childhood? Projects award educational scholarships to the early childhood workforce in 24 states and the District of Columbia. The Child Care WAGE$? Project provides salary supplements to early educators in five states. To learn more, please visit the T .E .A .C .H. Early Childhood? National Center's website at . This Directory was funded in part by The W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation. We thank them for their support but acknowledge that the findings and conclusions presented in this Directory are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of these organizations.

PO Box 901, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 919-967-3272 ? telephone 919-442-1988 ? facsimile



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Careers in Early Childhood

This directory was created to introduce you to the variety of careers in the early childhood field. As larger numbers of children live in families where all parents work, more early childhood professionals are needed to educate and care for these children. Families also need people to help them find the right early care and education program and assistance paying for it. In addition, our society has become more concerned about how this experience affects young children and what quality early care and education really means. These concerns have led to an increase in resources to support improving the quality of programs for young children and have simultaneously increased employment opportunities. Today, we need more researchers to find out what produces quality child care programs; we need more professional development specialists and technical assistance consultants to help early childhood programs and partners use the information researchers have found; we need more facility regulators to make sure child care, Head Start and Pre-K programs are meeting the requirements for quality; and we need more administrators to help the workforce meet the needs of increasingly diverse children and families.

A sampling of different types of employment opportunities in the early childhood field according to the population served or supported by each is provided in the first section of this directory. As you read each position description, note that there may be different types of jobs in each category, each with its own specific responsibilities, requirements and salaries. In addition, the increasingly diverse families and workforce mean that there are greater needs for multi-lingual professionals with some positions reserved exclusively for people with those skills.

Education opens the door to more career opportunities, increased earnings, and to becoming a certified and/or licensed early childhood professional. Both associate and bachelor's degree programs offer an array of educational opportunities... on campus, online and in local communities. A list of loan and scholarship options follows in the latter part of the directory to help you find resources to pay for your education. It is suggested that readers determine if a program is regionally accredited prior to enrollment. For a list of regionally accredited college and university programs, go to: Directories/regional.asp. Readers are also encouraged to contact one or more of the following persons to seek guidance on applying for financial aid: a high school guidance counselor, the college's financial aid office, student advisement center and/or early childhood department chair/coordinator. If you are seeking training opportunities, readers are encouraged to contact local resources for non-credit bearing opportunities including the local, regional or statewide child care resource and referral agency, the state agency that regulates child care facilities, nonprofit agencies that oversee funding for child care quality, and business groups such as a small business center and SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives, ).

A recent report form the Institute of Medicine (IOM)/National Research Council, Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation, validates the importance of the early years in setting a trajectory for success in school, career and life and strategically links what children need with what the early childhood workforce should know and be able to do ().

Early childhood is a critical time in the lives of children. Careers in early childhood can provide a rewarding opportunity for those who choose to make their life's work focus on that period of child and family development. There are lots of opportunities in the field of early childhood to move between and among different careers. The key to having this mobility is often found in one's education. A bachelor's degree in early childhood education opens the door for almost every career described herein. It is also the minimum education standard for lead teachers recommended in the IOM report. Many in our field begin their careers in the classroom working directly with you children and families, but later move to jobs that use that experience and knowledge to work on behalf of young children. Whether you are a student considering a career in early childhood or an early childhood professional considering your career options, we hope that this directory will inspire you with the many available career opportunities.

Sue Russell, Executive Director T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood? National Center

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Glossary

of Selected Early Childhood Work Environments

Glossary

? Public Pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) Programs serve children ages 3 to 5 years, may be targeted to specific children and may be offered to families in a public school, nonprofit and/or for-profit private facility. Some of these programs operate for half of the day while others follow regular school hours. In addition, some programs may provide wrap-around services to care for children after school. Funds for public Pre-K programs come from local, state or federal governments, and parents may pay no fee or a fee adjusted to their income.

? Child Care Centers provide care and education for children ages birth to five, and may include beforeand after-school care and summer care for preschool or school-age children. Centers vary by size, ages of children served and mission. Most centers operate for more than four hours per day. Centers may be operated by nonprofit agencies, for-profit owners or corporations, or government agencies. Funding primarily comes from parent fees with some parents able to receive government assistance.

? Family Child Care Homes serve small numbers of children and are usually licensed or registered by a public agency that is responsible for overseeing the provision of child care and/or school-age services. Funding comes primarily from parent fees, the subsidized child care system and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

? Head Start programs provide developmentally appropriate early learning activities plus health, nutrition, early intervention and family support services. Most Head Start programs serve 3- and 4-year-old children from low-income families in both center-based and home-based settings. Early Head Start is limited to children from birth to three. Head Start centers traditionally operate 4-6 hours a day for nine months of the year. Some centers provide services all day, year round. Others provide seasonal programs for children of migrant families. Head Start programs may be operated by public schools or other nonprofit community organizations. In some communities you may find Head Start and/or Early Head Start classrooms within licensed child care programs. Funding primarily comes from the federal government and parents pay no fees.

? Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) Agencies help families find the child care they need and educate families and the community about early care and education choices, quality and issues. CCR&R agencies also help child care providers improve quality through training, technical assistance and other supportive services. Many CCR&R agencies also provide financial assistance for families needing help paying the full fees charged for child care or information on where to find assistance with child care fees.

? In-Home Care usually is provided to the children of a single family in that family's own home. Sometimes in-home caregivers live with the family and/or may be related to the family. These caregivers may or may not be related to the children in care and depending on state law, may be required to be regulated or licensed. Funding for in-home care comes primarily from parent fees.

? Private Preschool Programs may be based in a center, place of faith or in the community. They may provide early education programs that typically offer educational enrichment and social interactions for children ages 2 to 5 years. These programs usually operate on a part-day basis, two to five days per week. Funding comes primarily from parent fees.

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Teachers of Young Children:

Child Care, Head Start, and Pre-K-Based Programs

Employment Opportunities

The job of teaching preschool children in a center-based program can be both extremely rewarding and challenging. Between birth and the time a child is ready to go to kindergarten, children experience remarkable developmental changes. The daily activities of a teacher of infants are very different than those of a teacher of four-year-olds. Teachers may work with typically and atypically developing children. Yet all teachers need certain skills and knowledge to perform their jobs well. Teaching young children requires that you have knowledge about and learned skills in:

1. how children grow and develop,

2. planning activities for children in a creative learning environment,

3. securing a safe and healthy place for children to play,

4. how to communicate with an increasingly diverse population of children and their families,

5. effective group management strategies, and

6. a commitment to learning how to best educate and care for the young child.

Within any center-based setting, teachers may be found in a variety of positions. The beginning teacher may be called an Assistant Teacher or Teacher's Aide and work with and under the supervision of a more educated, experienced teacher. Sometimes in larger programs a teacher who has more education and experience is given the title of Lead or Mentor/Master Teacher. This position may entail more planning and supervision of other teachers, as well as center administrative responsibility. All individuals who work directly with young children should be certified in CPR and first aid and have a criminal record check, in addition to having coursework, credentials or degrees in early childhood education.

Job possibilities at:

? Child care centers ? Private preschool programs ? Head Start programs ? Publicly-funded prekinder-

garten programs

Recommended education

? Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential

? Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education/ Child Development

? Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education/ Child Development

Typical salary range

$16,430 ? $49,660

Teaching young children in center-based programs can vary by auspice or setting. Most commonly, teachers are found working in child care centers. These centers include those operated by Head Start programs, places of faith, schools, colleges, mental health agencies, nonprofit groups, non-child care employers/industry, chains/corporations, or for profit providers. Some programs operate only a few hours a day, a few days a week; others are open twelve hours or more a day, five days a week. Some operate under state or federal regulations; others operate without any external oversight. The auspice of the program can make a big difference in what is expected of teachers and what teachers can expect in terms of compensation, career advancement, work environment and the quality of early care and education provided to the children. In many states these programs can choose to be a part of the state's Quality Rating System to demonstrate the provision of higher quality early care and education

There is increasing interest in and funding for prekindergarten programs focused on helping three- and four-year-olds acquire the skills for success in schools. Pre-K programs are found in diverse settings and often have state or federal funding. Some are targeted to children at risk for school failure. Others are universally available. Teachers in those settings often earn substantially more than teachers working in traditional child care centers and must have higher levels of education and/or a teaching license.

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